Entry Lanterns...off-centered or centered w/ off-set front door?

13 years ago

Our front door is not centered in our foyer. The electrical drawing has the two lanterns in this space centered with the front door and the cased opening that will lead into the main spaces of the house. You can see this below.

Yesterday when I was with the gc, he asked if we wanted to keep it that way or center them with the room or if we wanted to do one lantern and change the second to a can since on the other side of the cased opening, there will be cans. But the electrician pointed out the second cannot be changed to a can where they are now because of the joist.

As you can see, the bottom stair railings are open and the little dotted lines to the right of the stairs is showing the small angled section of ceiling for stairs. I'm wondering if once we put a piece of furniture or something to the right of the stairs/left of the double doors, it will look more balanced having the lights centered with the doors? Or maybe that's how they should look anyway?

On the other hand, it seems right to center them in the room. But if we center, then they'll be just "off" yet not hidden from the door and off from the 2/3 glass front door view. Since the door will be mostly glass, the lantern should be viewed in the center of it then, right?

I've asked people and have had both opinions...most leaning toward leaving them where they are.

What would you do here if you were me?

Featured Answer

babs711
Original Author

13 years ago

No. It's custom. I'll be there in the morning and can take a photo though!!

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Comments (7)

avesmor
13 years ago
Our house was built about a year ago. When I discussed this with my builder and electricion they were split. Builder said to center to the door, electrician said to center to the space.

I tried it both ways and centered to the door won without a doubt.

The only time I notice that it's not centered to the space is when I'm standing in the foyer looking up at the ceiling. Sine I'm not that wacky, I rarely even notice.
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babs711
Original Author
13 years ago
Haha! Are these the "small" details that people say you overthink when you build but won't notice later? I wonder but it is right when you walk in! I wish so much we could keep them where they are and do ONE entry lantern centered with the door and make that other one a can. It certainly would be more economical. But the joists run lengthwise and you'd have to way off-center that can and that would just look funny. These stupid joists have messed up my ductwork for my range hood and now this light! LOL!
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User
13 years ago
It looks like you don't have room to move the light closer to the stairs? Since the ceiling is sloping there, I think it probably already will appear centered in the space. Do you have any photos of this house built previously, by chance? I can't envision how much slope will be under the stairs...

The light closer to the door looks balanced, since it's centered with the double doors above it... and the front door.
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girlville
13 years ago
I think that you should only consider sight lines. In your case everyone will be coming in the door and presumably looking dead ahead. you'll get the most bang (since I assume you'll have some fabulous fixture in your entry) if you centre the lights on the door. Also a centred light viewed through the transom windows above a front door is a great warm greeting from the street (if your door is surrounded by glass).

I went through the build process recently myself (moved in two months ago) trust me, you can't over think this stuff. There are tiny details all over the place now that I wish I had given more consideration. They don't spoil the experience of my new house, it's not that bad, but they do draw my eye in over and over and over. One of those niggling issues is my dining room light fixture which is centred on the dimensions of the room per plan, but does not account for the fact that the dining room opens to both a hall and my foyer so visual appears much bigger.
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babs711
Original Author
13 years ago
girlville, it's SO funny you just mentioned the dining room light. My builder JUST told me to double check where I want that fixture because our dining/breakfast light is wide open on that same kitchen wall you can see at the bottom photo. We have the light centered with the "room" (not the whole space that includes that walkway) which starts at that right side of the cased opening (as you're looking in from the front door into the main spaces). But he wants to make double certain that's where we want it and for me to try to lay out a table on our plans to see if it's in the right spot.

All these things are killing me! I think you guys are right. Sight lines it is. Done.
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Sujafr
13 years ago
Our DR is open along 2 sides with a pillar at the point where they meet. Plans were to just have the openings go clear to the ceiling, but our GC suggested that if we added just a slight bit of wall at the ceiling (Maybe 10"?) on the open sides of the DR, it would allow me to have crown molding all the way around the inside of the DR ceiling and make the DR seem a bit more its own room even with it still open to entry and the hall by the kitchen. I've always been grateful for that suggestion, and it helped with getting the light where I wanted it. Just be sure to also consider whether you'll be putting a buffet along one wall and center the light over the space for the table instead of the room if you so that.
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